Thou that saiest there is no God see whither thou dost speak against thine own conscience It is most likely that thou rather wishest there were than really thinkest in thy heart that there is no God For this truth is so deeply graven upon man's heart that there is a God that it is hardly possible to root it totally and constantly out of our minds but Conscience will some time or other discover that there are some Notions of a Diety remaining in the worst of men What mean those accusations of Conscience which even such as profess themselves Atheists feel for secret sins which none know but themselves especially in times of distress and when they are in danger of death They are intimations that there are apprehension there is a God to whom men must be accountable even for their secret sins Why do Atheistical persons fear and tremble when it Thunders and Lightens in a dreadful manner Why did Caligula the Emperour who feared no man on Earth shew so much timerousness when it Thundred and Lightned that he got under his Bed Their fears of God's judgments shew that there are some impressions of the Being of God remaining in the Minds and Consciences of the most professed Atheists 4. If you will not be convinced of your folly in being of this singular and wicked Opinion that there is no God enjoy your Opinion to your self and please your self in your own delusion and take your fill of sin but know whither you will believe it or will not that there is a righteous God who will call thee to judgment for all these things and will without repentance cast you into Hell-fire for your sins and when you feel his vengeance in the other world you shall never doubt any more whither there be a God to Eternity For whatever Atheistical Opinions men hold on Earth they shall cease to be Atheists when they come in Hell § The despairing Drunkard's Plea who thinks there is no hope of mercy for him and therefore resolves still to go on in his sins Plea 27. I have been such a vile and wretched sinner and have lived so â—â—…ng in this sin of drunkenness that I am afâ—â—â—… there is no Mercy for me And therefore I had as good enjoy what delight and pleasure I can whilst I live seeing I must perish when I die If I did apprehend there was any hope of Mercy for me I would speedily break off my evil courses and reform my life A. 1. Despair doth harden mens hearts to go on still in their trespasses Jer. 18.12 And they said There is no hope but we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the Imagination of his own evil heart And therefore we should be careful that we do not give way to despairing thoughts concerning the mercy of God 2. Though your case should be hopeless yet you had better break of your evil courses than go on to add sin to sin for that will lessen your torments in the other world 3. There is hope upon your Repentance that you may obtain mercy from God though you have been as vile a Drunkard as any that lives upon the face of the Earth For 1. The blood of Christ is of sufficient vertue to wash away the greatest sins of the greatest sinners in the world Joh. 1.23 Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world All sins though never so many for number and never so heinous for nature are cleansed away by the blood of Christ from such as repent and believe in him Joh. 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 2. The Lord for Christ his sake hath promised remission of sins upon their repentance to the chiefest of sinners and such as have continued so long in their sins that they have even wearied the patience of God to bear with them Isa 1.16 17 18. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Come now let us reason together though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red as Crimson they shall be as wool The most heinous sins such as are like scarlet and crimson of a deep die shall be forgiven to such as cease to do evil Isa 43.24 25. Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine Iniquities I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Though a man hath been a very wicked man and led an evil Life and committed abundance of sin yet upon his Repentance God will pardon all his sins Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 3. Abominable Drunkards and other vile sinners have obtained pardon of sin through the blood of Christ and Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Such were some of you that is such as are mentioned in the foregoing verses Drunkards Idolaters Adulterers abusers of themselves with Mankind Theives Revilers Extortioners And yet though some of them had been such abominable sinners they were pardoned by the blood and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ And therefore let no man though a great sinner though the chiefest of sinners say his case is desperate for there is mercy for him upon his Repentance Prov. 28.13 Who so confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy Sect. 7 And Exhortation to such as are addicted to this sin of drunkenness to break off their sin If drunkenness be such a wofull sin then let me exhort all persons that are addicted to this sin of drunkenness whether they be rich or poor young or old speedily to break of their sin and to leave of their drunken courses and companions I entreat and beseech you for God's sake whose name is dishonoured by this beastly sin and for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake who shed his most precious blood to redeem you from this and your other sins and for the Holy Ghost's sake who is greived and vexed by your sensual courses and for the Gospel's sake which is scandalized by your lose Conversations and for your own sake that you would not ruine your selves Body and Soul for ever and for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake that you would not deprive your selves of the unspeakable glory and joys of Heaven rather than to leave off this swinish sin and for your Families that you would not ruine and corrupt your Families and entail God's Judgments on your Posterity and for the Nation 's sake that you would not pull down God's wrath upon the Land of your Nativity leave off your
attend on my Ministry and I thought it necessary to warn others yea to warn all my hearers to take heed and beware of this sin of drunkenness If any say I have no need to be warned to take heed of the sin of drunkenness I hate and abhor it and look upon it as a most beastly sin what manner of persons do you take us to be that you warn us to take heed of drunkenness A. 1. They do not know the corruption of their own hearts nor what strength and power there is in a temptation that think they have no need to be warned to take heed of drunkenness There is in our corrupt natures an inclination to all sin Rom. 7.8 Sin taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence And it is from God's restraining us that those evil inclinations that are in our hearts do not break forth in our lives Gen. 20.6 I with-held thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her By the power of temptation we may be drawn to those sins which we think our selves most averse unto yea to which we apprehend that we have such an averseness that we will rather suffer death than consent to them Matth. 26.35 Peter said unto him though I should dye with thee yet will I not deny thee Though Peter thought and said this that he would rather dye than deny Christ yet being in a temptation he did three times fall into that sin which he thought he of all men should never have yielded to ver 33. Though all men shall be offended because of thee yet I will never be offended And which he thought he should rather dye than commit he fell thrice into in one night in the same night in which he solemnly professed he would rather dye than deny the Lord Jesus Hazael seemed to scorn the Prophets words when he told him how cruelly he would deal with the people of Israel that he would kill their young men with the sword and dash out their childrens brains and rip up the women with child and replyed 2 King 8.13 But what is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing Yet he fullfilled what the Prophet had foretold 2. Our Lord Jesus Christ saw it needfull to warn his own Disciples who had left all to follow him to take heed of this sin of drunkenness Luke 21.34 And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares That our Lord Jesus Christ speaks here to his own Disciples is evident from Ch. 20.45 and Luk. 21.5 7. Compared with Matth. 24.1 3. Matthew relating much of the same discourse tells that it was a private discourse between Christ and his Disciples And several passages in the Chapter shew plainly that it was spoken to the Disciples As ver 12.15 17 28. They shall lay their hands on you and persecute you and ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake c. Now if our Lord Jesus Christ saw it needfull to warn his own Disciples who were enabled to suffer persecution for Righteousness sake to take heed of drunkenness why should any of us think we have no need to be warned to take heed of this sin 3. Persons of great eminency for the grace of God have been overtaken with this sin of drunkenness and that in a very shamefull manner Noah was a man of great eminency in the grace of God he kept his integrity when all the men on the earth had corrupted their ways Gen. 6.9 11 12. He was a Preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 He was renowned for his faith and fear of God and was an heir of the Righteousness which is by saith Heb. 11.7 He was a man in great favour with God and could do great things with God in Prayer and is ranked with Job and Daniel God's special favourites Ezek. 14.14.16 18 20. Yet this Noah who was so eminent and famous in his Generation was overcome with Wine in a most shamefull manner in so much as he lay uncovered in his Tent and his Son saw his nakedness and this after he had seen Gods judgment in drowning the old World for their sins and his infinite mercy in sparing him and his Family Gen. 9.20 21 22. And Noah planted a Vineyard and he drunk of the Wine and was drunken and he was uncovered within his Tent and Ham saw the nakedness of his Father and told it his two brethren without Lot was a Righteous man so eminent for Holiness that he was vexed in his Soul to see the unrighteousness of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.7 8. He was in such favour with God that the Lord sent two Angels to his house to give him warning of the destruction of Sodom and to bid him hasten out of that place lest he was consumed Gen. 19.1 12 13 15. He was in such favour with God that though Sodom's sins were exceeding great and Angels were come down from Heaven to destroy that place yet they could do nothing towards destroying that City till Lot was gone out of it and escaped to Zoar ver 22. Hast thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou art come thither He had such power with God that he prevailed for the sparing of a whole City which had deserved destruction as well as Sodom for the Cities about Sodom were given to fornication and going after strange flesh as well as Sodom Jude 7. Yet at Lot's request the City of Zoar was spared Gen. 19.21 See I have accepted thee concerning this thing that I will not overthrow this City for the which thou hast spoken Yet this Righteous Lot was twice overcome with wine and that to such an high degree as that he knew not what he did and in his drunkenness committed the heinous sin of incest with both his Daughters for his two Daughters were with Child by lying with their Father when they had made him drunk Gen. 19.30 to the 36. And Lot's sin was the greater because it was committed after he had seen God's terrible judgments on Sodom and the adjacent Cities for their sins and after God had shewen a miracle of mercy tovvards him in his deliverance out of Sodom Novv if such eminent Saints as Noah and Lot vvere overtaken vvith the sin of drunkenness and that in a very dreadfull manner vvho can say they have no need of being vvarned to take heed of this sin Let these examples have this effect upon us to make such as think they stand take heed least they fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Sect. 2. The Text opened What 's meant by the Crown of Pride what by the drunkards of Ephraim what by the wo denounced against them The Prophet in this Text denounceth God's judgments against two great sins Pride and Drunkenness for opening whereof let us consider 1. What is meant by the Crown of
and others to repent of and forsake this sin of drunkenness If some drunkards be cut of in the act of sin while you are spared you must not think that they were greater sinners than you are but by their example God calls you to Repentance Luk. 13.4 5. Those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and slew them think ye that they were sinners above all that dwell in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish 5. Your prospering in a sinfull course and being free from trouble of Conscience and also your being free from the judgments of God is a sure token that God intends to destroy you for ever Psal 94.7 When the wicked spring as the grass and all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they may be destroyed for ever Some mens sins go before to judgment and some men they follow after 1 Tim. 5.24 The less you meet with here for your sins the more you have to come in the other World 6. If you be free from God's judgments on your outward man yet it may be he sends his plagues upon your heart Exod. 9.14 I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart If the Lord give a man up to his own hearts lusts or to an hard and impenitent heart this is a worse judgment than afflictions on the Body or Estate § The plea of such as fear reproaches if they should not drink to excess as others do answered Plea 13. I would leave off this sin of drunkenness were it not that I feared reproach and scorn my companions with whom I have used to frequent Taverns and Ale-houses will call me a precise fool and say I am turned Puritan if I should not do as they do and besides my occasions do oft times lead me into the company of Gentlemen that are great drinkers and if I should scruple drinking in their company they would reproach and scorn me now I stand much upon my honour and to avoid reproaches I am drawn to that which I am convinced is a great evil but I can't avoid it unless I should make my self a derision and scorn among my acquaintance A. 1. If you stand upon your honour then whatever scoffs are put upon you hold fast your Sobriety be not by any means drawn to excessive drinking for drunkenness is a great reproach to any man be he a great or a mean man Prov. 14.34 Sin is a reproach to any people To be reproached for our temperance or any other branch of Righteousness is a real honour 1 Pet 4.14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you Then we are reproached for the name of Christ when we are reproached for our obedience to any of the Commandments of Christ of which this is one Take heed to your own selves least at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfitting and drunkenness Luk. 21.34 And therefore if any man reproach you because you will not overcharge your selves with drunkenness this is your happiness this is your glory for the Spirit of glory rests upon those that are reproached for the name of Christ 2. None but fools will mock at you for refusing to drink to excess Prov. 14.9 Fools make a mock at sin And who will regard what fools say As for all good men if you live in the fear of God they will honour you It is mentioned as a Character of a good man He honoureth them that fear the Lord. Psal 15.4 Yea if you abstain from drunkenness out of Conscience to the command of Christ the Lord himself will honour you Joh. 12.26 If any man serve me him will my Father honour 3. If you are ashamed to keep your sobrietp because of the scoffs and jears of sottish men the Lord Jesus Christ will disown you and be ashamed of you before the Holy Angels and before his Heavenly Father Mark 8.33 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this sinfull and adulterous Generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his father with the Holy Angels 4. If you will not turn from your sottish courses at the call and command of God the Lord himself will laugh at you and mock you in the day of your calamity Prov. 1.23 24 26. Turn ye at my reproof Because I have called and ye refused I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh And that is very dreadfull to have God instead of helping us in our distress mock and laugh at us in our calamity Yea the Devils also who tempted you to sin will laugh at you in Hell for your folly in parting with Heaven for such a poor matter as a pot of drink 5. You have slighty thoughts of sin and low thoughts of your immortal souls and of the joys of Heaven and the torments of Hell if you will commit such an horrible sin as drunkenness and cast away your immortal souls and deprive your selves of the joys of Heaven rather than bear the scoffs and jears of foolish and sottish men § The plea of rich men whereby they would excuse their drunkenness answered Plea 14. If I were a poor labouring man and should lye at the Ale-house and spend what I earned and my Family be in want I should be greatly to be blamed but I am a rich man and have a great Estate I can spend freely at Taverns and Ale-houses and not feel any want of what I spend there and therefore I hope I may be excused A. 1. It is indeed a very great crime for labouring men or any others to wast their Estates at Ale-houses whereby their Families are brought to want for such are worse than infidels 1 Tim. 5.8 If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denyed the Faith and is worse than an Infidel 2. The rich drunkard shall find no more favour with God than the poor man yea than the begger For the Lord is no respecter of persons but will render to every man according to his works Riches avail nothing to keep off the wrath of God Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath Job 36.19 Will he esteem thy riches No not Gold nor all the forces of strength Yea it will go worse with rich drunkards at the day of judgment than with poor men that have been addicted to this sin For they sin against greater mercy and abuse greater Talents than poor men What is said of the rust and canker which is on the Gold and Silver of rich men that are covetous and hoard up their Riches and do no good with them Jam. 5.3 Your Gold and your Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasure together
we would escape Eternal Death we must cast them all away and not allow our selves in any known sin Ezek. 18.31 Cast away from you all your Transgressions whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye dye O house of Israel § The lingring sinner's plea answered I am convinced I must leave off my drunken courses or else there is no Salvation for me and I am purposed to do so but I am desirous to have a few merry bouts more at drinking and then I will become a new man A. 1. Sinful lusts are insatiable it is not once or twice gratifying our sinful lusts that will give satisfaction to our corrupt natures but the oftner we fulfil the lusts and desires of the flesh the more strongly our hearts will be carried out after sin It is here as it is with the fire the laying on new fewel makes the fire rage and burn more furiously the adding of new acts of sin makes our lusts to rage and crave the more furiously for farther opportunities of sin Ezek. 16.28 29. As Idolaters and Adulterers are insatiable in their lusts so are drunkards and other sinners also The sluggard the longer he lyeth in his bed the lother he is to rise Prov. 6.9 10. So it is with the drunkard the longer he lyeth in his drunkenness the more unwilling he will be to leave it 2. The time past is sufficient and too much which you have already spent in sin 2 Pet. 4.3 and therefore you should not wast any more precious time in such sottish courses 3. Thy own heart and the Devil deceive thee in suggesting such thoughts as these I will have but a merry bout or two more in drinking and then I will leave this course For it is likely thou hast thought and resolved so many times heretofore and yet nothing is done When a Sermon hath come home to thy Conscience or when thou hast been near unto death or hast met with some startling providence hast thou not thought with thy self I will leave of my drunkenness and what set a time for thy Repentance and yet thou art fallen to it a fresh again Sin is of a deceitful hardning nature if it can but prevail with us to defer our Repentance it will harden our hearts Heb. 3.13 4. VVho can tell but the next merry bout which thou hast with thy companions thou may'st be taken out of the VVorld VVhile Job's children were eating and drinking wine in their Eldest Brother's house they were all slain by a great wind that blew down the house Job 1.18 19. VVhy may not sudden death come upon thee when thou art drinking wine and making merry as well as on Job's children They were the children of a Godly man their mirth was innocent mirth yet were they cut off while they were drinking wine And why may it not be so with thee also The Rich man that said to his Soul eat drink be merry had his soul taken from him that very night Luk. 12.19 20. § The presumptuous sinner's Plea answered who goes on in his sin presuming that at what time soever he repents God will be merciful to him and presuming that he may live long If any say God is a merciful and gracious God and at what time soever a sinner repents of his sins God will pardon him and therefore I will repent of my evil wayes but not yet I will enjoy my sinful delights a while longer and then I will repent and I doubt not but God will be merciful to me and that I shall go to Heaven as well as other men A. 1. It is an horrible abuse of God's mercy to take occasion from God's mercy to continue in sin Gods goodness should lead us to Repentance and therefore they that presume upon God's mercy to continue and go on in their sins are guilty of despising the riches of God's grace Rom. 2.4 2. It is true that God hath promised to forgive penitent sinners at what time soever they repent truly of their sins but he hath not promised to give Repentance to such as refuse to turn at his call and go on in their sins presuming that God will be gracious to them True Repentance is never too late but late Repentance is seldom true 3. Though you be young and strong and like to live many years yet it is dangerous to defer your Repentance on many accounts as 1. Life is uncertain some die in their full strength and the height of their prosperity when they are at greatest ease they go down in a moment into the grave Job 21.13 23. Such as promise themselves many years in this VVorld may not have one days continuance Luk. 12.19 20. And if sudden Death take you away before you have repented of your sin you are lost for ever 2. If your life should be continued God may take away the use of your understanding and give you up to distraction and persons under distraction are not apprehensive what need they have of Repentance 3. If you should enjoy Life and have the use of your understanding yet who can tell whither God will give you repentance for your sin it may be he will give you up to your hearts lusts instead of giving you repentance and because you refused to repent in the day that he offer'd you mercy possibly he may swear in his VVrath that you shall never enter into his rest as he did to the Jews Heb. 3.7 8 11. 4. If you should repent it may be it will be as Judas did repent he grew desperate and hanged himself he was so burdned and troubled in his Conscience for his sin that he could not bear his burden but went away and hung himself Matth. 27.3 5. Judas repented himself saying I have sinned and went and hanged himself 4. Let such as put off their repentance because they are young and strong and like to live many years or on any other account consider this that if they do not repent now it is most likely they will not repent nor leave off their sins as long as they live For 1. The longer you live in sin the less able you will be to repent for continuance in sin strengthens sin and weakens the Soul Jer. 13.23 Custom in sin doth give sin such rooting in the heart that it will be as hard a matter for such as have got a custom of sinning to leave their sins as it will be for a Blackamore to change his skin or the Leopard his Spots 2. The longer any man lives in his sins the less willing he will be to repent for his inclinations to sin will be strong and his aversness to holiness greater and his heart will be more hardned in sin Heb. 3.12 3. The longer a man continueth to provoke God the less hope there is of his assistance and giving us his grace and the more ground for fear that he should say his Spirit shall no more strive with
us 4. The World and the Flesh and the Devil will be as tempting hereafter as they are now and our hearts as ready and more ready to yield than they are now § The plea of such as say they would leave off their drunkenness but they cannot Helps against this sin of drunkenness If any say I am abundantly convinced that Drunkenness is an abominable sin and I would leave it but I cannot I find it hath got such power over me as that I can't withstand it What shall I do that I may be able to leave this sin A. It is no easie matter for a man that is accustomed to this sin to leave it it is of such an enticing bewitching nature and therefore having set out the greatness of this sin and answered the Pleas that are made use of to excuse this sin I shall now propose some helps against this sin § Prayer is a special help against Drunkenness and all other sins 1. Pray to God to give you his Holy Spirit to sanctify your hearts and to turn you from this and from all your other sins When the Apostle had cautioned the Ephesians against Drunkenness as a means and help against this sin he exhorts them to be filled with the Spirit Eph. 5.18 Be not drunk with Wine wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit Now the way to get the Spirit of God is to pray for it Luk. 11.13 Your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him By Prayer to God we may obtain help against all our sins such as are strongest and of longest continuance Psal 119 2 3. Blessed are they that seek him with the whole heart they do no iniquity Such sins as we are most inclined to that have dwelt in us a long time and are become natural to us may be overcome by the grace of God Jam. 4.5 6. The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy but he giveth more grace That is God's grace is sufficient for the subduing our strongest Corruptions and if we do seek to him with humble hearts he will give us more strength of grace than there is strength of sin in us whereby we shall overcome those sins that have dwelt longest in us and to which our Hearts and Spirits are most strongly enclined But here some may say by way of discouragement Obj. 1. It is true Prayer will do great things with God but it is said Joh. 9.31 We know that God heareth not sinners and therefore to what purpose should I that am a sinner pray to God to give me his grace to leave and forsake my sins seeing God will not hear me A. 1. When it is said God heareth not sinners it is to be understood of impenitent sinners of such as love and delight in their sins and hate to be reformed and turn a deaf Ear to the word of God Prov. 28.9 He that turneth away his Ear from hearing the Law even his Prayer shall be an abomination 2. As for such sinners as are desirous to leave and forsake their sins there is hope for them if they pray to God for his grace that he will hear them The VVoman of Samaria that discoursed with Christ at Jacob's VVell was a great sinner she lived with a man that was not her Husband and so was an Adultress Joh. 4.16 17 18. She was a Samaritan ver 4. and the Samaritans were Idolaters and did did not know what they worshipped ver 22. Ye worship ye know not what See also 2 King 17.24 28 29 41. The Samaritans were a people of ill fame among the Jews Joh. 8.48 Say we not well thou art a Samaritan and hast a Devil This VVoman of Samaria had carried her self unkindly to Christ yet when he asked for a draught of water though she knew the VVell was deep and that he had nothing to draw with ver 11. She did not grant him his request but instead of giving him water she gave him a check ver 9. How is it that thou being a Jew asketh drink of me which am a Woman of Samaria for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans Yet our Lord Jesus Christ incourageth this VVoman to pray though a Samaritan though one that lived with a man as her Husband that was not her Husband though she had carryed her self unkindly to Christ he incourageth her to pray and tells her if she had asked he would have given her living water Joh. 4.10 Jesus said unto her if thou knowest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Oppressours and Unrighteous persons are great sinners yet they are exhorted to seek the Lord and have a promise that if they seek God they shall live Amos 5.6 7. Seek ye the Lord and ye shall live ye that turn judgment to Wormwood and leave off righteousness in the Earth Obj. 2. But I have such inclinations to drinking and have been so long addicted to this sin and am so enslaved to it that I think it is in vain to pray for help against it for I fear there is no hope that I should ever be made able to leave off this sin A. 1. There is nothing too hard for God Jer. 32.17 He that formed the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing that brought light out of darkness there is nothing too hard for him He can enlighten those that are under the greatest ignorance and blindness he can make those that have carnal and vile hearts to become Heavenly and Spiritual He can make the chief of sinners to become the greatest Saints There is a possibility yea a probability that God may give repentance to such as are the greatest Slaves to Sin and Satan that Satan leads them Captive at his pleasure and doth with them even what he will and oppose the means of their recovery yet such as these may be recovered out of the Devil's snare 2 Tim. 2.25 26. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2. We have examples of God's Mercy and Grace in recovering other sinners that have been as much enslaved to their sins as you are and their hearts have been as much glued to their sins as yours are and have continued as long in their evil courses as you have done The Apostle tells us of some that were Servants to their sins and served divers Lusts and Pleasures that were saved by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.3 5. The Israelites were exceedingly given and addicted to the sin of Idolatry Their hearts went after their Idols and were glued to them Ezek. 20.16 Their heart went after their Idols Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols Yet when they
have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 2. If you only confess your sin but soon commit it again and make vows and promises of Reformation but break them as oft as you make them this is not true Repentance this is but dissembling with God and a kind of mocking God when you confess your sin and yet are not resolved to leave your sin and to make vows and Promises when you do not mean to perform them The promise of pardon is to such as confess and forsake their sins not to such as confess and commit them again Prov. 28.13 Whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy VVhen men make Vows and Promises to God to reform their lives and their Hearts are not real neither are they stedfast to what they promise God accounts all our vows and promises but flattery and telling him so many lies Ps 78.34 35 36 37. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God And they remembred that God was the 〈◊〉 rock and the high God their Redeemer Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongue For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his covenant § Noah and Lot's Drunkenness will not excuse Drunkards Plea 22. Noah and Lot were good men and there is no doubt but they are gone to Heaven yet they were both drunk with VVine and that in as fearful and shameful manner as ever we were Noah was so drunk that he lay uncovered within his Tent and one of his Sons saw his Nakedness Lot was so overcome with some that he knew not what he did but committed Incest with both his Daughters and why may not we be good men and go to Heaven as well as Lot and Noah though we be now and then overcome with Drink A. 1. Though Noah was once overtaken with Drunkenness and Lot was surprized twice yet they were no Drunkards A Drunkard is one that is addicted and given to the sin of drunkenness one that is frequently overcome with VVine and strong drink A good man may be overtaken with a fault and may fall into sin but they are wicked men that lie and continue in their sins A Sheep may fall into the Mire but they are Swine that love to wallow in the mire 2. Noah and Lot repented of their drunkenness and so obtained Mercy but impenitent Sinners such as instead of repenting go on still in their trespasses instead of Mercy shall receive vengeance from God Psal 68.21 But God shall wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses 3. The falls of the Saints the sins of Lot and Noah and other Servants of God are recorded into Scripture not to justifie or encourage any man in his sins but as warnings to all that think they stand to take heed lest they fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall The Apostle had spoke in the foregoing verses of the murmurings and several other sins of the Israelites and of God's judgments against them for their sins and tells us that these things are recorded that such as think they stand should take heed lest they fall And therefore they that make this use of the fall of the Saints to encourage themselves in their sinful practices wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction 4. Lot's sin was punished in his posterity for the Children which he begat of his Daughters in his drunkenness namely Moab and Ammon brought forth a cursed Generation of Men that proved great Enemies to the Church of God For Moab who was Lot's eldest Daughters Son was the Father of the Moabites And Ben-ammi that was the Son of the younger Daughter was the Father of the Ammonites Gen. 9.37 38. And the Lord had such an indignation against the Moabites and Ammonites that he made a special Law against them above other Nations to exclude them from coming into the Congregation of the Lord. Deut. 23.3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord even to their tenth Generation they shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord for ever § The Plea of such as say Drunkenness is their infirmitie Plea 23. There is no man perfect in this VVorld but all men have their infirmities and failings one in one kind and another in another kind and this is my infirmitie that I love a Cup of good drink too well and when I am amongst my Companions I can't for my heart forbear drinking over much and I hope that seeing this is mine infirmity God will be gracious unto me and not shut me out of Heaven for a sin of infirmity A. 1. It is true all men have their infirmities and failings whilst they are in this World Eccl. 7.20 For there is not a just man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not The holiest men in the world have acknowledged themselves to be imperfect There was not a holier man on Earth than Job if perfection be taken for integrity and uprightness in that sence he was a perfect man Job 1.10 Yet Job was conscious to himself of his infirmities and durst not stand upon his own justification in the sight of God and say that he was perfect Job 9.20 If I justifie my self my own Mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse The Apostle Paul acknowledgeth himself imperfect Phil. 3.12 Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect But although the Servants of God have their infirmities they do not live in such beastly sins as Drunkenness What Moses saith of the degenerate Jews Deut. 32.5 may be applyed to Drunkards They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his Children they are a perverse and a crooked generation They flatter and delude themselves who live in such vicious courses as drunkenness and call their sins their infirmities 2. Such as are frequently overcome with wine and strong drink their drunkenness is not a sin of infirmity but a wilful and presumptuous sin as will appear in these respects 1. A man that sins through infirmitie is willing and desirous to be freed from his sins Matth. 26.40 41. What could ye not watch with me one hour The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak The sleepiness of the Disciples was their infirmity their Spirits were willing to have watched but their flesh was weak And such a man as sinneth through infirmity useth means to be freed of his sins Psal 77.10 And I said This iâ—â—â—y infirmitie but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high The Psalmist having through infirmity called in question the love and mercy of God calleth to mind his former experiences of God's gracious dealings with his soul he used means to get out of that sin
fulfil the lusts of the flesh Some might enquire what course shall we take that we may subdue the lusts of the flesh the Apostle directs to a ready way for getting power over all lusts and it is this that we get and walk in the spirit But some may say How shall we come to be filled with the spirit A. 1. By earnest longings and servent Prayers to God to give us yea to fill us with his Holy Spirit Luk. 11.13 Your Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Psal 81.10 Open thy mouth and I will fill it Psal 107.9 He satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry with goodness 2. By acting Faith on God's Promises where he hath promised to give his spirit in an abundant and plentiful measure to us The more full we are of Faith the greater fulness we shall have of the spirit Act. 6 5. They choose Stephen a man full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost Now we have divers promises wherein the Lord hath promised to pour out his spirit richly and abundantly upon us Isa 44.3 I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground By water and floods we are to understand a plentiful effusion of the spirit as the words following shew us I will pour my spirit on thy seed See also Joh. 7.38 39. 3. Be careful you do not quench nor grieve the Holy Spirit after the Lord hath given any measure of it to you either by the Omission of known duties or the Commission of known sins For thereby you will hinder farther Communications of the spirit But some may say I am afraid God will not fill me with his Holy Spirit because I have been such a vile and sinful creature though I should seek unto him A. God through and for the sake of Jesus Christ will shed abroad his spirit abundantly on those that have been vile and great sinners if they turn to the Lord and make their supplication to him Prov. 1.23 Turn you at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit unto you This promise is made to such as have been very great sinners to such as loved simplicity hated knowledge delighted in scorning as we may see in the fore-going verse yet even to these upon their turning God promiseth to pour out his spirit See also Tit. 3.5 6. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour These persons on whom God through Jesus Christ did shed abroad his spirit abundantly had been great sinners as we may see ver 3. They were sometime foolish disobedient serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another yet on them for Christ's sake the Lord did shed abroad his spirit abundantly § Putting on the Lord Jesus is a special help against drunkenness and all other sins How we are to put on Christ 10. If you would cast off this sin of drunkenness put on the Lord Jesus Christ for the puting on Christ will help you to put off your drunkenness and all your other sins Rom. 13.12 13. Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ The Apostle doth not bid us put on temperance that we escape rioting and drunkenness or put on chastity as a remedy against wantonness or put on love and peace as a remedy against strife and envying but as a remedy against drunkenness and all the other sins he bids us put on the Lord Jesus Christ The putting on Christ will help us to put off drunkenness and all other vicious courses But some may say what is it to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and how and when may we be said to put on Christ Ans 1. We put on Christ by faith when we put on a garment we apply it to our bodies So we put on the Lord Jesus Christ when we make application of him and his saving benefits to our souls Christ is to be put on not only for justification from the guilt but also for sanctification from the filth and power of sin For he hath righteousness and holiness merit and spirit for sinners wherein all that believe in him do communicate with him This is absolutely necessary for the mortification of this and all other sins the power of sin can never be subdued but by the power of Christ Our old man must be crucified with him Rom. 6.6 and through the spirit we must mortifie the deeds of the body Rom. 8.13 To him therefore must we look and upon him we must rely by faith for grace and help to enable us to forsake and mortifie our sins It is through faith in Christ that we obtain victory over our corruption 1 Joh. 5.4 This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith By the world which is overcome by faith understand not onely th◠men of the world but the lusts and corruptions which we are liable to whilest we are in the world Now we have good encouragement to look to Christ and rely on him for grace to help us against our lusts For 1. Jesus Christ was sent into the world by the Father on purpose to bless us in turning us from our iniquities Act. 3.26 And we may warrantably rely on Christ for the giving us those blessings which his Father sent him to beslow upon us 2. Our Lord Jesus gave himself to death for us that he might redeem us from the guilt and power of all our sins Tit. 2.14 who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And we may warrantably rely on Christ for that blessing which he hath purchased for us with his own blood 3. Trusting and hoping in Christ is the way to be redeemed from all our iniquities Psal 130.7 8. Let Israel hope in the Lord And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities 2. We put on Christ by imitation when we make him our pattern and example resolving and endeavouring by the help of his grace to walk as he walked while he was in the world 1 Joh. 2.6 It was one end of God's sending Christ into the world to set us an example even in our own humane nature Rom. 8.29 Whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son And it is our duty to be followers of Christ Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart Joh. 13.15 I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Now Christ did no sin 1 Pet. 2.21 22. Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps who did no sin The wicked Jewes indeed maliciously slandered him and said Math. 11.19 Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber But they laid to his charge things that he knew not And Christ challenged any of them to prove their charge Joh. 8.46 Which of you convinceth me of sin If then we thus put on Jesus Christ by imitation and warrant our practise by his example we shall not make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof which is the last direction Now the Lord in whose hand the hearts of all men are turn the eyes of concerned sinners upon these lines convince the guilty of the evil aggravations and danger of this shameful woful destroying damning yet abounding sin stop the mouth of all pleas in excuse or extenuation thereof and effectually persuade to a serious compliance with the counsel of God by speedy repentance and thorow reformation that they may never-feel the dreadful execution of the wo denounced It appeareth by the Authors manuscript that he designed had not death prevented him to have added hereto a narrative of the remarkable judgments of God upon drunkards with the use that ought to be made thereof FINIS